U.S. patent number 7,009,659 [Application Number 10/000,381] was granted by the patent office on 2006-03-07 for system and method for establishing tv settings.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.. Invention is credited to Matthew Chang, Anthony Lionel Creed, Aaron Dew, Greg Gudorf, William Hausch.
United States Patent |
7,009,659 |
Dew , et al. |
March 7, 2006 |
System and method for establishing TV settings
Abstract
A system and method for automatically establishing TV
audio/video/closed captioning, based on time/date/geographic
location/location of the TV within the home.
Inventors: |
Dew; Aaron (San Diego, CA),
Gudorf; Greg (San Diego, CA), Creed; Anthony Lionel (San
Diego, CA), Chang; Matthew (San Diego, CA), Hausch;
William (Culver City, CA) |
Assignee: |
Sony Corporation (Tokyo,
JP)
Sony Electronics Inc. (Park Ridge, NJ)
|
Family
ID: |
21691292 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/000,381 |
Filed: |
October 29, 2001 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20030107675 A1 |
Jun 12, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
348/553; 348/571;
348/569; 348/E5.102 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N
21/4884 (20130101); H04N 21/4524 (20130101); H04N
21/47 (20130101); H04N 5/44513 (20130101); H04N
21/485 (20130101); H04N 21/42202 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04N
5/44 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;348/569,553,714,571,730,725,731 ;706/908,909 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Kostak; Victor R.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Rogitz; John L.
Claims
We claim:
1. A system for automatically establishing at least one TV setting
based on at least one of: a geographic location of a TV, a location
of a TV with respect to a dwelling, and a time, comprising: a TV;
and a processor coupled to the TV and receiving information
representative of at least one of: a geographic location of a TV, a
location of a TV with respect to a dwelling, and a time, the
processor establishing at least one of: an audio setting, and a
video setting based at least partially thereon, the audio setting
being selected from the group consisting of audio volume, audio
dynamic range, audio treble, audio bass, audio EQ, and surround
sound, the video setting being selected from the group consisting
of menu color, brightness, contrast, color, and tint, wherein the
information is received via a global positioning satellite.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the information is input by a
viewer of the TV.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the setting is a video
setting.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the setting is an audio
setting.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the setting is a menu color.
6. The system of claim 3, wherein the setting is at least one of:
contrast, color, and tint.
7. A system for automatically establishing at least one audio or
video TV setting based on a location of a TV with respect to a
dwelling, comprising: a TV; and a processor coupled to the TV and
receiving information from a satellite representative of a location
of a TV with respect to a dwelling, the processor establishing at
least one of: an audio setting, and a video setting based at least
partially thereon.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the setting is volume.
9. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor accesses a set of
heuristics to undertake the establishing act.
10. The system of claim 7, further comprising an input device
manipulable to establish the settings.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein manually input settings are
used by the processor to alter heuristics.
12. A method for establishing at least one audio and/or video
setting on a TV based on at least one of: location of the TV, and
time, comprising: providing a set of correlation heuristics;
receiving an input comprising at least one of: the location, and
the time; and accessing the set of correlation heuristics to
correlate the input to the setting, wherein the setting is a menu
icon scheme.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the location is a location of
the TV within a building.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the location is a geographic
location of the TV.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein the time is a time of day.
16. The method of claim 12, wherein the time is a date.
17. The method of claim 12, wherein the input is received from a
viewer of the TV.
18. The method of claim 12, wherein the input is received from a
global positioning satellite.
19. A system for tailoring TV settings to a TV location,
comprising: means for inputting the location to establish an input,
the location being received from a satellite; means for correlating
the input to at least one setting associated with the TV; and means
for establishing at least one of: an audio setting, and a video
setting selected from the group consisting of menu color, color,
tint, brightness, and contrast, on the TV.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for inputting is a
human-manipulable TV control device associated with the TV.
21. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for inputting is a
wide area source of data.
22. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for correlating is a
processor located in the TV.
23. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for correlating is a
processor located in a set-top box associated with the TV.
24. The system of claim 19, wherein the setting is at least one
video setting.
25. The system of claim 19, wherein the setting is at least one
audio setting.
26. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor determines whether
to display closed captioning based on the information.
27. The system of claim 4, wherein the setting is an audio dynamic
range.
28. The system of claim 4, wherein the setting is at least one of:
audio treble, bass, EQ, or surround sound.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to television systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Televisions and computers have become ubiquitous, and since both
usually entail a visual display, efforts have been made to
integrate both functions into a single system. In this way, a
consumer need not purchase and operate two separate systems, which
can burden some consumers who, while familiar with operating a
television and its remote control, might not be familiar with
operating, e.g., an Internet computer.
To the extent that attempts have been made to combine television
with Internet features, it has generally been with the focus of
producing what might be thought of as a "lean forward" system. That
is, hybrid TV/computers have typically been more oriented toward
productivity, generally thought of as a computer system
characteristic, and less toward entertainment ("lean back"),
generally regarded as a television system characteristic. It is not
just the dichotomy between productivity and entertainment that
distinguishes a "lean forward" experience from a "lean back"
experience, however. As contemplated herein, "lean forward"
activities often are experienced by only a single person, while
"lean back" activities are often group experiences. Moreover, "lean
back" activities can extend to purchasing products that are
advertised on TV, as opposed to, e.g., making products for sale. In
any case, with the above-mentioned critical observation of the
present invention in mind, it can readily be appreciated that the
differences between a system designed for "lean forward"
experiences and a system designed for "lean back" experiences can
be both subtle and profound.
An example of a "lean forward" system is the system known as
"WebTV", in which preselected Internet pages are loaded once into a
television during manufacture and never subsequently updated, with
the preselected pages being accessible through the television using
a computer keyboard with its attendant complexity. To access the
pages, the consumer must access a central site by means of the
keyboard, and then be redirected to a desired Web page. In terms of
currently expected speeds of Internet access, this consumes an
undue amount of time. Furthermore, it requires browser or
browser-like operations that must be executed by a consumer. All of
these features--use of a keyboard, knowledgeable use of a browser,
and wait time for Web page access--are not per se unacceptable for
a lean forward experience, but would severely detract from a lean
back experience.
For instance, in the context of lean back, entertainment- and
group-oriented experiences, consumers are accustomed to using a
much simpler input device than a computer keyboard, namely, a
remote control. Moreover, a user interface that is simpler than a
Web browser, e.g., an electronic program guide (EPG), is preferred.
Also, waiting for entertainment to load or otherwise be prepared
for playing is distracting in a lean-back, group-oriented
experience. But as exemplified above by the WebTV system, current
systems that attempt to integrate television and computers
essentially do so by grafting a TV onto what is essentially an
underlying, lean forward computer system, and consequently provide
less than optimum lean back experiences. As an example, a large
number of potential TV settings are available, and unlike a
computer user who might expect to alter computer settings
frequently based on the task at hand, a TV viewer might not want to
laboriously establish each one every time viewing circumstances
change. The object of the present invention is to provide a TV
system that accommodates lean back experiences better than existing
systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A system for automatically establishing TV settings based on a
geographic location of a TV, a location of a TV with respect to a
dwelling, and/or a date or time includes a TV and a processor
coupled to the TV. The processor receives location and/or time
information and, preferably using a set of heuristically-discovered
rules, establishes one or more TV settings based thereon.
In a preferred implementation, the information is input by a viewer
of the TV, or it is received from a wide area data source, such as
but not limited to a global positioning satellite. The settings
that are established based on TV location and time include video
settings such as contrast, color, and tint or audio settings such
as volume, audio dynamic range, audio treble, bass, EQ, or surround
sound. Or, the processor can determine whether or not to display
closed captioning based on the information. Settings that are
manually input or changed by a viewer can be used to alter the
heuristics.
In another aspect, a method for establishing settings on a TV based
on location of the TV and/or time includes providing a set of
correlation heuristics. Also, the method includes receiving an
input including the location and/or the time. The set of
correlation heuristics is accessed to correlate the input to the
setting.
In still another aspect, a system for tailoring TV settings to a TV
location and/or a time includes means for inputting the location
and/or time to establish an input, and means for correlating the
input to at least one setting that is associated with the TV. Means
then establish the setting on the TV.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and
operation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and
in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the system of the present invention;
and
FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the present logic.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring initially to FIG. 1, a system is shown, generally
designated 10.
As shown, the system 10 includes a TV 12 that conventionally
receives televised content at a content receiver 14 (e.g., an
antenna, satellite dish, set-top box, etc.) for display of the
content on a monitor 16 and associated speakers 17.
While the embodiment below discusses a TV 12 with a single housing
that is shown separate from the microprocessor and database, it is
to be understood that the term "television" encompasses any
apparatus that has a television tuner and the below-described
capability in a single housing or in separate housings that
cooperate together. For instance, the term "TV" encompasses the
television system shown in FIG. 1, as well as a conventional
television in combination with a set-top box that functions in
accordance with the present invention. In the latter example, the
set-top box might include, e.g., the microprocessor discussed
below.
In the preferred non-limiting embodiment shown, the TV 12 includes
a housing 18 that holds a conventional television tuner which
receives the TV signals. The audio and video settings of the TV,
i.e., the volume, tone, tint, color, contrast, and so on as
conventionally provided in the art, are established by respective
adjustable audio and video setting circuits 20, 22. Also, the TV 12
can display an electronic program guide (EPG) for displaying, on
the monitor 16, a list of available TV channels in accordance with
principles known in the art.
A microprocessor 26 communicates with the circuits 20, 22 and the
EPG for establishing television settings based on one or more of
time, date, geographic location of the TV 12, and location within
the home of the TV 12, as set forth more fully below. As intimated
above, the microprocessor 26 can be located in the housing 18 or it
can be disposed elsewhere, such as in a set-top box, remote control
device. In any case, the microprocessor 26 accesses a
software-implemented settings module 28 to execute the logic set
forth herein. The microprocessor 26 can also access a database 30
of information for correlating time/date/location information to
audio/video settings. The database 30 can be contained in computer
memory, or on a hard disk drive, optical drive, solid state
storage, tape drive, removable flash memory, or any other suitable
data storage medium. Moreover, the microprocessor 26 accesses or
includes a clock 31, so that the microprocessor can determine the
time of day for purposes to be shortly disclosed. The system 10 can
also have a TV remote control device 34 that functions in
accordance with principles known in the art and as set forth
herein. A locater system 35 such as a GPS can also communicate with
the microprocessor 26.
It may now be appreciated that the microprocessor 26 controls the
functions of the TV 12 in accordance with the logic below. The flow
charts herein illustrate the structure of the logic modules of the
present invention as embodied in computer program software. Those
skilled in the art will appreciate that the flow charts illustrate
the structures of logic elements, such as computer program code
elements or electronic logic circuits, that function according to
this invention. Manifestly, the invention is practiced in its
essential embodiment by a machine component that renders the logic
elements in a form that instructs a digital processing apparatus
(that is, a computer or microprocessor) to perform a sequence of
function steps corresponding to those shown. Internal logic could
be as simple as a state machine.
In other words, the present logic may be established as a computer
program that is executed by a processor within, e.g., the present
microprocessors/servers as a series of computer-executable
instructions. In addition to residing on hard disk drives, these
instructions may reside, for example, in RAM of the appropriate
computer, or the instructions may be stored on magnetic tape,
electronic read-only memory, or other appropriate data storage
device.
Now referring to the logic diagram shown in FIG. 2, the settings
module 28 can adjust TV 12 settings based on time of day, and/or
date, and/or geographic location of the TV 12, and/or location of
the TV 12 within the home. Specifically, at block 36 the
microprocessor 26 can receive time, date, geographic location, and
location within the home of the TV 12 from the viewer by means of
the remote device 34 or other input device, or from the locater 35.
When received from the viewer, the module 28 can cause a menu to be
displayed on the TV 12 listing, e.g., locations within the home,
for example, "bedroom", "bathroom", "living room", "baby's room",
and so on. Date, time, and geographic location can also be listed.
The viewer can then select the appropriate entry.
Proceeding to block 38, some or all of the information discussed
above can be received from an external source, such as a
broadcaster, Internet connection, global positioning system (GPS)
satellite, etc. Accordingly, time/date/location information can be
received in broadcast content (e.g., in the vertical blanking
interval), or via out of band broadcast content, such as Internet
content or Radio Data Service (RDS) content or telephone modem
content or as part of transmitted authentication data to, e.g., a
set top box.
In any case, based on the time/date/location information received
at blocks 36 and/or 38, the logic flows to block 40, wherein the
microprocessor 26 establishes one or more of the audio settings and
video settings based thereon.
To do this, the microprocessor 26 executes the settings module 28
to invoke heuristically determined rules. As can be appreciated, a
wide range of subjective heuristics can be employed and updated in
the database 30 via, e.g., cable or Internet connection to, e.g.,
automatically adjust the video circuit 22 to establish one or more
of color, tint, hue, brightness, contrast, and so on according to
the heuristics.
By further way of non-limiting examples only, low volume and
brighter contrast and/or displaying closed captions (or not) might
be correlated to a baby's room TV in the morning. As another
example, in the morning the volume of the TV 12, if located in the
kitchen, might be automatically set relatively high.
Still further, the viewer can manually change the TV settings by,
e.g., appropriately manipulating the remote control device 34. In
such an embodiment, the microprocessor 26 can present, on the
monitor 16, a menu listing available settings and highlighting the
actual settings as automatically established by the microprocessor
26, and the viewer can scroll through the menu and select other TV
settings, if desired. These viewer-selected settings can in turn be
correlated with contemporaneous time/date/location signals and the
database 30 updated, or "trained", accordingly. For example, if the
same time/date/location signal (or signal range) is sensed two or
more times contemporaneously with a manually-input setting, the
signal (or range) can be correlated to the setting in the database
30. In this way, the heuristics that are correlated to particular
settings can be altered, or vice-versa.
Also, TV menu color schemes and TV menu icon schemes can be
established based on the time/date/location. Audio settings that
can be established include but are not limited to audio dynamic
range, audio treble, bass, EQ, and surround sound. Also, the
processor 26 can determine whether or not to display closed
captioning based on the time/date/position information.
While the particular SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ESTABLISHING TV SETTING
as herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of
attaining the above-described objects of the invention, it is to be
understood that it is the presently preferred embodiment of the
present invention and is thus representative of the subject matter
which is broadly contemplated by the present invention, that the
scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments
which may become obvious to those skilled in the art, and that the
scope of the present invention is accordingly to be limited by
nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an
element in the singular means "at least one". All structural and
functional equivalents to the elements of the above-described
preferred embodiment that are known or later come to be known to
those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated
herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the
present claims. Moreover, it is not necessary for a device or
method to address each and every problem sought to be solved by the
present invention, for it to be encompassed by the present claims.
Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present
disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of
whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly
recited in the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed
under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. .sctn.112, sixth paragraph,
unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase "means
for".
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